Revolving door



P 1935. E. PER EM I ETAL 2,014,395

REVOLVING DOOR Filed Dec. 8, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet l flllllll 'IA R v Q 1is Q I W 8* H, w w

, INVENTORS fo/vu/va Pf/Pf/V/ BY CHARLES, Ms

L ATTORNEYS Sept; 1935- E. PEREM] ETAL Q 2,014,395

REVOLVING DOOR Filed Dec. 8, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR fD/VUA/OPew/1x BY Cfi/wus 475/9 MQ WZZZ ATTORNEY Sept. 17, 1935. E. PEREMI T ALREVOLVING DOOR Filed Dec. 8, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 J INVENTORS v [an /v0Paw/w CHARLES r375 ATTORNEYS Sept. 17, 1935.- E. PEREMl HAL REVOLVINGDOOR Filed Dec. 8, 19355 4 SheetsSheet 4 INVEN 0R5 [DMZ/ND )wtw/ BYCHA/Plfs gig/ZZZ MWQ ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 17 1935 UNITED STATESOFFIQE REVOLVING DOOR ration of New York Application December 8, 1933,Serial No. 701,410

9 Claims.

This invention relates to revolving doors wherein the several leaves arenormally disposed in radial positions for rotation in unison about acommon center, but are foldable into book form to clear the doorway whendesired.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved means for guidingand controlling the leaves in the folding movements thereof.

The present invention is related to the inventions disclosed in thecopendfng application of Edmund Pereini and Charles KlF-h, filedNovemher 7, 1933, Serial No. 696,953, now Patent No. 1,983,396, forRevolving doors, dated December l, 193s, and the copending applicationof Edmund Peremi and Charles Kish, filed November 18, 1933, Serial No.698,570, now Patent No. 1,983,395, for Revolving doors, dated Decemberl, 1934.

In said Patent No. 1,983,396, provision is made of means for guiding theleaves in their folding movements, comprising a central gear ofirregular form, a surrounding guide having internal guiding surfaces,andon each leaf a pinion block guided and confined by and between theexternal guide and the central gear.

In one illustrative embodiment of the present invention the principle ofthe invention of said application is adhered to, but the central gear ismade regular in form, the pinion blocks are formed with a series of liketeeth or lobes for engaging the central gear, and the pinion blocks arefurther constructed so that the side teeth or lobes may operate inoverlapping relation and may simultaneously engage a single seat ornotch of the central gear.

In another illustrative embodiment of the invention the central supportis provided with upper and lower fixed discs, each disc having in oneface thereof a groove which is continuous and generally square, but inwhich the ends of the straight groove portions are connected througharcuate portions. These arcuate portions are concentric with guide pinsprovided on the disc just inside the corners of the square grooves, andalso with divergent guide grooves which intersect the straight portionsof the square groove and form branches of an inner radial portion. Eachleaf is provided with a pair of guiding elements for cooperating withthe guide grooves and pins of the disc.

In both illustrative forms of the invention adjacent leaves are adaptedto make common use of certain of the guiding elements of the disc, andall of the guiding elements of the disc are provided at one side of thedisc. The upper disc therefore may be mounted to present to view asubstantially smooth lower surface and the lower disc may be mounted topresent to View a substantially smooth upper surface.

Gther objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings forming part of this specification:

Figure l is a view in sectional elevation of a doorway having a doormounted therein which embodies features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional, plan vie illustrating the structure of Figure 1together with a dotted line showing of the door folded into book formand moved to one side of the doorway;

igure 3 is a fragmentary, sectional View in elevation through the lowercentral portion of the door of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, horizontal, sectional view illustrating theconstruction of the'leaf controlling means; 20

Figure 5 is a view generally similar to Figure 4, but showing the leavesfolded into book form;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional plan view illustrating anotherembodiment of the invention with the leaves folded into book form; 25

Figure '7 is a fragmentary view sectional elevation illustratingparticularly the groove and pin arrangement of the embodiment of Figure6;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary detail View in sectional elevationillustrating the disc construction, the section being taken on the line8-8 of Figure 9 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the leaves in theirnormal radial positions.

Disclosure is made in Figure 1 of the customary doorway comprising afloor I, a ceiling wall 2, and arcuate side guides 3. The door 4 ismounted upon a central shaft 5 which extends upward through the ceilingWall and which is suspended from a trolley (not shown). The trolley ismounted on tracks (not shown) and may be moved to one side of thedoorway when the door leaves are folded into book form, as illustratedin dotted lines in Figure 2.

For the purposes of supporting and guiding the leaves from the centralshaft, provision is made of upper and lower control discs 5, the hubportions of which are fixed to the shaft 5. Above, below and between thediscs provision is made of sleeves I having grooved faces 8 into whichthe inner faces of the leaves fit when the leaves are in their normalradial positions.

Each guide disc 6 comprises an inner flange 9 in the form of a gearhaving teeth It provided at uniform intervals upon the periphery thereofand 55.

arcuate grooves I I intervening between each pair of successive teeth.The teeth I!) are all alike and the grooves II are all alike. A pinionblock I2 is fixedly mounted on each leaf for cooperation with the gearformed by the inner flange. The pinion block is confined and held inengagement with the gear by an outer guide flange I3 of the disc 6. Thepinion blocks are duplicates of one another. In folding the door intobook form the pinion blocks (all located at the same side of the disc)are required to operate in overlapping relation, and hence clearance isprovided to enable them to operate in such relation without conflict. Tothis end the upper halves of alternate pinion blocks are partially cutaway to provide clearance, and the lower halves of the other blocks arepartially cut away to provide clearance. While the blocks are duplicatesof one another, therefore, adjacent blocks stand in inverted relation toone another.

Each pinion block comprises three like lobes or teeth l4, I5 and IS. Thelobe I5 normally occupies and fits a notch or groove Ila of the centralgear and is held thereto by engagement of an outer arcuate surface I! ofthe pinion block with a similar arcuate surface I8 of the guide flangeI3. The surface I8 is concentric with the face of the groove Ho and thesurface of the lobe I5 is concentric with the surface I! of the pinionblock. When a leaf 4a is to be swung toward the right from normalposition, the lobe I5 turns against the surface of the groove I la andthe surface I? travels along the surface I3 until the lobe M becomesseated in the next groove or recess Nb of the central gear. At thisinstant the surface 93 clears the surface II. In the continued foldingmovement of the leaf the lobe I4 is held to the seat provided by thegroove lib by the interengagement of arcuate surfaces I 9 and 29provided on the pinion block and the outer guide flange l3,respectively. The right and left hand halves of the pinion block areduplicates of one another.

When a leaf 4b is to be swung toward the left, the pinion block I2thereof is controlled by the inner flange 9 and the outer guide flangeI3 in the manner already described. In this movement a lobe of thepinion block of leaf 4?) enters and becomes seated against the base ofgroove IIb. These overlapping lobes are accordingly provided indifferent planes by removing the upper half of one lobe and the lowerhalf of the other. The same practice is carried out to provide clearancefor overlapping of side portions of the pinion blocks with one another,the overlapping being indicated between the several pairs of adjacentpinion blocks in Figure 5. The construction is such that each pinionblock comprises side pieces 2| confined to one half of the thickness ofthe block, a central boss 22 occupying the full height of the block andhaving a tongue portion 23 extending centrally to the outer extremity ofthe block, and an inner lobe l5 extending throughout the height of theblock. The leaves '40, 4b, 4a and 4d may be folded into book form,

as illustrated in Figure 5.

Provision is made of means for detaining the leaves normally in theirradial positions, such detaining means being generally like thedetaining means disclosed and claimed in Patents Nos. 1,983,396 and1,983,395, hereinbefore referred to.

The detaining mechanism is designed to yield in response to forceintentionally exerted by an operator when it is desired to clear thedoorway for the reception or delivery of merchandise or stop 520, on thehousing member 50.

for any other purpose, and also in case of panic by persons rushingheedlessly against the leaves. The detaining means comprises in eachinstance a pair of oppositely flexed toggles comprising links 24 and 25which normally engage in notches 28 and 21 formed in the outer face ofthe flange I3. The toggles are alternatively effective, one requiring tobe straightened in order to fold the leaf in one direction, and theother requiring to be straightened in order to fold the leaf in theopposite direction. Straightening of the toggles is resisted by a spring32 mounted in the door leaf. Each-of the toggle arms is pivotallyconnected at the outer end thereof to a slide block 33, such slide blockforming the second element of each of the toggles, the slide block 33has a beveled upper face 34 at the outer end thereof which engages abeveled face 35 formed upon the inner end of a lever 36. The lever 33 ismounted upon a fulcrum pin 37 and rests at its outer end upon a plunger38. The plunger 38 has a stem portion which is slidable vertically in abore 39 formed in a carrier 40. The spring 32 is seated in an annularrecess 4| formed in the carrier 40. The spring 32 encircles the plungerand bears against the lower side of the head thereof to hold the plungerconstantly in engagement with the outer arm of the lever 36. The lever33 is held by the plunger in engagement with a fixed stop 42 provided onan upper housing member 43. A rack bar 44 is secured upon the carrier 40by means of screws and meshes with a pinion 46 fast on a shaft 41. Theshaft 41 has a square opening 43 in the end thereof which is accessiblefrom the exterior of the door leaf and which is 35 adapted to beoperated by the insertion of a key to slide the plunger 38 toward andfrom the fulcrum of the lever 36. The inner end of the carrier isobstructed by a shoulder 49 formed on lower housing member 50 so thatthe plunger 40 cannot be carried to a position directly beneath thefulcrum of the lever 36. In this respect the present constructiondiffers from the disclosures of Patent No. 1,983,396 and Patent No.1,983,395. Since it is not possible to take the spring 32 com-- 45pletely out of action, the provision of a light auxiliary spring forurging the slide block 33 inward is unnecessary. An adjustable stop bar5| is attached by screws 52 to the carrier 40 as in Patent No. 1,983,395for selectively determining an outer 5 limit of movement of the carrierand hence the maximum effectiveness of the spring 32 upon the lever 36.The stop bar 5| cooperates with a fixed The detent mechanism as shownand described is claimed in 55 Patents Nos. 1,983,396 and 1,983,395 withthe exception that no claim is made in said applications to the featureof limiting the effectiveness of the spring 32 to a predeterminedminimum value.

Each leaf is adapted to be folded upon occasion 0 through as much as 135in either direction away from the normal radial position thereof.

For the purpose of aiding in determining positions of the leaves removed45 and. 135 from normal, provision is made on each leaf of a well 5 28containing a plunger 29, a spring 30 acting on the plunger, and athreaded plug 3| for holding the spring against the plunger. Eachplunger extends into contact With the smooth face of a disc 6, and thedisc is provided with sixteen depressions, four for each plunger, todefine two positions of each leaf 45 removed from normal, and twopositions removed from normal.

In the embodiment of Figures 6 to 9 the general construction of the dooris the same as that 75. I

in the embodiment of Figures 1 to 5. That is to say, a central rotaryshaft 5a suspended from a trolley is provided with fixed upper and lowerdiscs 6a, and four leaves normally held in radial positions are mountedupon the discs with provision for swinging movement in either directionfor as much as 135 away from normal. Each disc comprises a square groove53 having straight sides 54 and round corners 55. Each disc is alsoprovided with a guide pin 56 within each corner, and concentric with theround groove portion at such corner. Each disc is further provided witha radial groove 51 having divergent arcuate portions 58 and 59, onearcuate portion 58 being concentric with the guide pin 56 located nearone corner of the square groove and the other arcuate portion 59 beingconcentric with the guide pin 56 located near an adjacent corner of thesquare groove. The middle of each side portion 54 of the square grooveintersects the junction of the grooves 58 and 59. The square groove isdeeper than the groove 51 and the branches thereof.

Each door leaf carries a fixed pin 60 which normally fits in the groove51 at the inner end thereof, and which is adapted to fit the grooves 51,58 and 59. Each leaf also carries a fixed pin 6! upon which is mounted aroller 62. The roller 62 fits the square groove 53 and extends forsubstan tially the full depth thereof. The pin 69, cooperating with thegrooves 5'! and 58 or 59 together with the roller 62 cooperating withthe groove 54. is fully capable of guiding and controlling a leafthroughout its entire swinging movement of 135, with the exception thatthe pin 66 is without support at one side at the point in its travelwhere it nears and crosses the junction of grooves 58 and 59. The guidepins 55 are provided for assisting in controlling the leaves during suchperiods of their movements. Each leaf is provided at opposite sidesthereof with projections 63 having guide notches 64 formed therein. Thenotches 64 have arcuate surfaces provided at the bases thereof which areadapted to fit and slide upon the pins 56.

When leaf 65 is swung clockwise from its normal position illustrated inFigure 9, the pin 60 carried by the leaf travels outward in the radialgroove 5] andthe roller 62 travels toward the right along the straightportion 54 of the square groove 53. The condition of the parts occurringat the time when the leaf is swung 45 away from normal is illustrated inFigure 6 with reference to the leaf indicated in the position 65a. Itwill be observed that the pin 60 and the roller 62 still occupy straightportions of the grooves with which they cooperate. In the furtherswinging movement toward a condition like that of the leaf illustratedat 65b in Figure 6, the base of the notch 64 is carried into engagementwith a guide pin 56. The roller 62 simultaneously reaches an arcuatecorner portion 55 of the square groove 53 and, at the same time, the pin60 reaches a widened portion of the groove 5?. The pin 56 and the notch64, however, cooperate with the roller 62 to control the door during thetransitional period when the pin 60 is passing over from the radialgroove portion 51 to the arcuate groove portion 59. The pin 60 moreoveris traveling constantly in engagement with the surface of the grooves 51and 59 at the inner side of the curve, except at the time when the pinis actually crossing the groove 53.

The cooperation of the leaf guiding elements when the leaves are swungcounterclockwise is the same as that already described for the clockwisemovement. In Figure 6 the leaf illustrated in the position marked 65chas been swung 45 away from normal in a counterclockwise direction andthe leaf marked 65d has been swung i35 away 5 from normal in acounterclockwise direction.

It will be observed that the same guide pins 56 and the same arcuategroove portions 55 are utilized for controlling the swinging movement ofone leaf in a clockwise direction and for control- 10, ling the swingingmovement of an adjacent leaf in a counterclockwise direction.

The detent mechanism employed in the embodiment of Figures 5 to 9 may bethe same as that already described as employed in the embodi- 15 ment ofFigures 1 to 5. Plunger detents 65 are also provided on each leaf forcooperating with notches 61 formed in the smooth faces of the discs fordetermining 45 and 135 positions of the leaves.

While we have illustrated and described in detail certain preferredforms of our invention, it is to be understood that changes may be madetherein and the invention embodied in other structures. We do not,therefore, desire to limit ourselves to the specific constructionillustrated, but intend to cover our invention broadly in whatever formits principle may be utilized.

We claim:

1. In a revolving door, in combination, a central rotary support, leavesfoldably mounted on the support, and means for controlling and guidingthe leaves in their folding movements comprising a guide disc fixed onthe support and having a central gear flange provided with a series ofequally spaced arcuate notches all equidistant from the axis of thesupport, a pinion block fixed on each leaf and each including aplurality of lobes for cooperating with the gear notches, said guidedisc also having an outer fiange having 40 successive inner guidingsurfaces concentric with the successive notches for guiding andconfining the pinion blocks in their movements.

2. In a revolving door, in combination, a central rotary support, leavesfoldably mounted on the support, and means for controlling and guidingthe leaves in their folding movements comprising members carried by theleaves and the central support respectively, saidcentral-support-carried means comprising a central circular gear havinga series of equally spaced arcuate notches formed in the peripherythereof, a surrounding guide having guiding surfaces concentric with thegear notches and the leaf carried means comprising a pinion block oneach leaf having concentrically arranged lobes for cooperating with thecentral gear, each block being continuously confined and guided by thecentral gear and the surrounding guide.

3. In a revolving door, in combination, a central rotary support, leavesfoldably mounted on the support, and means for controlling and guidingthe leaves in their folding movements, comprising members carried by theleaves and the central support, respectively, saidcentral-support-carried means comprising a central circular gear havinga series of equally spaced arcuate notches formed in the peripherythereof, a surrounding guide having guiding surfaces concentrio with thegear notches and the leaf carried means comprising a pinion block oneach leaf having concentrically arranged lobes for cooperating with thecentral gear, each block being continuously confined and guided by thecentral gear and the surrounding guide, certain of the gear notchesbeing located for cooperation with the lobes of the pinion blocks ofadjacent leaves and said lobes being of less height than the pinionblocks and located in different planes so that they may operate inoverlapping relation.

4. In a revolving door, in combination, a central rotary support, leavesfoldably mounted on the support, and means for controlling and guidingthe leaves in their folding movements comprising a circular central gearfixed on the central support and pinion blocks individual to the leavesand having lobes cooperative with the gear, said pinion blocks havingmarginal portions thereof cut away to limit the remainder of suchmarginal portions to heights not substantially exceeding one-half theheight of a block, and the pinion blocks of adjacent leaves beingdisposed in inverted relation to one another to enable them to operatein overlapping relation.

5. In a revolving door, in combination, a central rotary support, leavesfoldably mounted on the support, and detent means individual to theleaves for retaining the leaves yieldingly in, normal radial positionscomprising in each instance a pair of normally flexed alternativelyeffective toggles, a spring for applying force to the toggles, forcetransmitting means interposed between the spring and the toggles, aspring carrier operable to alter the effectiveness of the spring, whilemaintaining the stress thereof substantially unchanged, and meanslimiting the movement of said carrier in a direction to diminish theeffectiveness of the spring whereby a reduction of the effectiveness ofthe spring below predetermined minimum value is prevented.

6. In a revolving door, in combination, a central rotary support, leavesfoldably mounted on the support, and detent means individual to theleaves for retaining the leaves yieldingly in normal radial positionscomprising in each instance a pair of normally flexed alternativelyeffective toggles, a spring for applying force to the toggles, forcetransmitting means interposed between the 45 1 spring and the toggle, aspring carrier operable to alter the effectiveness of the spring, whilemaintaining the stress thereof substantially unchanged, and meanslimiting the movement of said carrier in a direction to diminish theeffec tiveness of the spring, said means being fixed and unalterable,whereby a reduction of the effectiveness of the spring below apredetermined minimum value is positively precluded.

7. In a revolving door, in combination, a central rotary support, leavesfoldably mounted on the support, a detent carried by each leaf, a springacting on each detent to make it efiective, a spring carrier movable toalter the effectiveness of the spring, and means limiting the movementof said carrier in a direction to diminish the effectiveness of thespring, said means being fixed and unalterable whereby reduction of theeffectiveness of the spring below a predetermined minimum value ispositively precluded.

8. In a revolving door, in combination, a central rotary support, leavesfoldably mounted on the support, and means supporting and guiding theleaves in their folding movements, comprising a disc on the centralsupport having a square groove with rounded corners, guide groovesconcentric with the rounded corners of the square groove and guide pinsalso concentric with the rounded corners of the square groove andguiding elements on each leaf cooperative With said grooves and pins.

9. In a revolving door, in combination, a central rotary support, leavesfoldably mounted on the support, and means supporting and guiding theleaves in their folding movements comprising a disc on the centralsupport having a square groove with rounded corners and radial groovesextending transversely of the sides of the square grooves at the middleportions thereof and having arcuate branches concentric with the roundedcorners and intersecting the square groove, guiding abutments on thedisc concentric with the rounded corners of the square groove andguiding elements on each leaf cooperative with the grooves andabutments, the abutments and rounded corners of the square grooves beingarranged to support the leaf when the leaf element, cooperative with theradial groove and its branches, is crossing the square groove.

EDMUND PEREMI. CHARLES KISH.

